In “Filters out Twigs and Sticks” the speaker imagines illness emanating from the radio and asks:

Is everybody playing sick?
Also of interest: a girl who peeled
back the skin of her arms, oh razor.
Not to worry, she said. All clear.
Just checking, she said. Just
checking for what the hell? I said.

The volume is woven through with a thread of recurring images: knives, breadcrumbs, whirling planets, uncles, white flowers.

“Attar of Roses” describes a man’s near-death experience:

He was shedding red flowers with every
exhale. The bed spilled bent tulips
over everyone’s shoes.
He told his family he was ungodly tired … .
And someone sewed him up like a good
wool coat; then he was strong again.
He sat up in bed and looked us over.
Flowers sifted to the bedroom floor.

This work is not for the faint-hearted, but those who can squint into the dark will find in these poems an uncommon, glowing beauty.

Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The author of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the author for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.